The Surprising Truth About Men and Plastic Surgery—and "Moobs"

Think nip and tucks are only for the ladies? Not anymore! Although men still make up only 10 percent of all plastic surgery patients, according to American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of men having procedures continues to grow.

“One of the most popular surgeries, male breast reduction, otherwise known as Moob reduction, increased by 26 percent in the past year,” says Anthony Youn, M.D., of YOUN Plastic Surgery, PLLC, based in Troy, Michigan, and author of The Age Fix.

“The number of men I treat is clearly rising,” says celebrity plastic surgeon Thomas Sterry. Interestingly, says Sterry, men are referred by their girlfriends and sisters, not their buddies. “That’s because men will never ever admit that they had anything done. Ladies lunch and exchange experiences about hair color, shopping and Botox. When some one compliments a man for his sleek figure he just says, “Yeah, I’ve been working out!” He just happens to casually not mention that I sucked 10 pounds of chicken wings out of his butt,” says Sterry.

However, some men are admitting to having had work done. Celebrities like Simon Cowell and Patrick Dempsey have reportedly copped to undergoing Botox injections to smooth forehead wrinkles and crow's feet. “The plethora of minimally invasive and non-invasive cosmetic treatments have been a boon for men, who traditionally have been very scar-phobic and therefore tend to shy away from surgeries that leave visible scars behind. Non-invasive fat removal, such as Coolsculpting, along with "scarless" operations like the "scarless" lower eyelid lift have brought thousands upon thousands of men off the golf course and into plastic surgeons' offices,” says Dr. Youn. Here are some other procedures that are increasingly popular for the boys:

Neck liposuction

Men who are trying to remove the evidence of having gained a bit of weight often go for neck lipo. “Neck liposuction is a great procedure for men because when we gain just a few pounds we lose definition of our jawline. There are several procedures available now to improve that area, but the gold standard remains some kind of liposuction,” says Sterry.

Tummy or flank lipo

“Tummy liposuction is frequently requested, but I tell them they will get a better outcome with flank liposuction to re-establish their waist. I frequently point out that we all look in the mirror and flex to see our belly muscles, but the rest of the world is looking at us from the other 359 degrees and sees our flanks first,” says Sterry.

Man Boobs (Moobs)

Gynecomastia is more common than you might think (some sources say up to 70 percent of older men experience the swelling of breast tissue.) “It is also rampant in the very fit population—especially amongst the steroid injecting crew. We have a variety of ways to improve that look and I must say men will do whatever it takes to get rid of their “man boobs”… And then they act like they never had them in the first place,” says Sterry. That's right, folks: They never write, they never call. They just enjoy their brand new pecs.

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